This invention pertains to enclosed footwear in combination with a leg covering or body covering that is storable within a compartment that is integral with an exterior of the enclosed footwear. The leg covering can be either a gaiter or a pants leg portion, and the body covering can be either a sack portion or a suit portion. The material of the leg covering or body covering can be protective against chemical agents, biological agents, nuclear radiation, heat and snake bites, and can also be cut proof.
When a person is performing an outdoor activity, in order for safety reasons and in order to realize maximum enjoyment of the activity, it is imperative that his/her footwear be sufficient to provide adequate protection and comfort. A shoe or boot itself is often sufficient to provide adequate protection and comfort to the person; however, there are times when extra protection is required.
For example, when hiking or maneuvering through a stream or other wet area, a typical shoe or boot will not always prevent water from entering into the shoe or boot, such that the foot of the wearer becomes wet and uncomfortable. When hiking or maneuvering through a forest, jungle or other vegetation-filled terrain, a shoe or boot will not always prevent insects, twigs, snakes, etc. from entering into the shoe or boot, such that the foot of the wearer may be bitten or scratched. When hiking or maneuvering through deserts or beaches a shoe or boot will not always provide sufficient protection for preventing sand or other debris from entering into the shoe or boot. And, when hiking or maneuvering through snow, a shoe or boot will not always be sufficient to prevent snow or other moisture from entering the shoe or boot.
Additionally, a shoe or boot itself is often insufficient to protect the lower leg of the wearer from snake bites, bug bites, scratches from thorns, etc.
Accordingly, a shoe or boot itself may not always provide adequate protection to prevent unwanted matter from entering into the shoe or boot, and may not always provide adequate protection against bites or scratches to the lower leg, whereby hiking, maneuvering through adverse conditions, and performing other outdoor activities can be extremely uncomfortable and dangerous.
Thus, there exists a need for providing a shoe or boot that can prevent unwanted matter from entering the shoe or boot, whereby protection and comfort are provided to the wearer during any outdoor activity. Certain attempts have been made in the past to provide footwear that is provided with structure to prevent debris from entering the footwear. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,573 issued to Brown on Jul. 1, 1997 discloses a shoe with an integral storable gaiter. In the Brown patent, the shoe and gaiter are integrally joined with one another, and a pouch is provided into which the gaiter can be stored when not in use. The pouch is integral with the shoe and is secured at the ankle collar of the shoe. Because the gaiter of Brown is stored within a pouch at the ankle collar of the shoe, and because when the gaiter is stored in the pouch the shoe is intended to take on its ordinary appearance, the Brown shoe is of limited practicality.
In this regard, in order for the shoe of Brown to take on a normal appearance when the gaiter is stored within the pouch, the gaiter must be of a limited height when pulled from the pouch. Otherwise, the storage of the gaiter within the pouch would result in an unsightly bulge around the ankle collar, which would not be a normal appearance of the shoe. Thus, to preserve the shoe of Brown with its normal and ordinary appearance, which is stated by Brown to be an advantage of the shoe and gaiter thereof, the gaiter of the Brown patent could extend up the lower leg of the wearer for a very limited portion, whereby the protective functions performed by the gaiter would be limited.
The shoe of the Brown patent may provide adequate protection and comfort to the wearer's foot under certain very mild conditions. However, the Brown shoe would be inadequate to prevent unwanted debris from entering into the shoe while at the same time protecting the lower leg from bites, scratches and other potentially dangerous occurrences, when performing a wide variety of outdoor activities, such as skiing, hiking, or otherwise maneuvering through jungles, deserts, deep snow or deep streams.
Accordingly, there remains a need to provide a shoe or boot that can prevent unwanted matter or debris from entering the shoe or boot, and protect the lower leg of the wearer from bites or scratches, such that adequate protection and comfort can be provided to the wearer even under adverse conditions.
Under more extreme conditions, e.g. attacks from nuclear radiation, or biological or chemical agents, there exists a need to be able to quickly protect a person's entire body.